JPG: Stories: Photo Essay: Veterans Day Our Heroes

Veterans Day Our Heroes

By Ted Gorczyca

11 Nov 2008

My wife and I were sightseeing in Pensacola, FL, when we came across a park with veteran statues. Being Veteran's day we stopped to honor our soliders past and present.

Each war had it's own statue and there was a statue of a nurse which I am sorry to say the photo I took did not come out. This is one photo I was hoping for since our nurses have not recieved the recognition that they deserve.

While walking around I saw a lot of different people of different ages standing, walking or just sitting and most were in deep silence and a few were talking. One gentleman asked my wife to take a photo of him with his camera standing next to a statue of a WWII air plane crew man. He explained that he was a crewman and used the parachute the statue was holding.

A woman explained to me that her husband needed to be alone as he walked along the Viet Nam wall.

There were four young Marines in their dress blues walking in silence and stopping at each statue for a few minutes. They were paying their respects to the past service man and women before them.

Then I came across this one statue of a little girl with a helmet on, holding her little stuffed bear. It was called HOME COMING. I looked at this statue and my eyes just filled up with tears and I had a very hard time holding my emotions back. See, I am a Viet Nam Vet and over the years I have suffered from nightmares of things I saw in Nam. This one day a saw a little girl walk into a group of soilders and then there was an explosion. The girl was gone and the soldiers were laying on the ground in blood. My nightmare is this scene of the little girl BUT it is not of a Vietnamese girl, it is my daughter. I had this nightmare for a few years as my daughter grew up or when I got stressed out. I no longer have the dreams and am able to talk about it.

I wish that we never see our young people go to war, but one thing for sure they are all our HEROS.

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Hi there!

thought you might like this submission to JPG Magazine. If you do, vote it up!

http://jpgmag.com/stories/8926

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—The JPG team

23 responses

Klaus Girk (Deleted) gave props (11 Nov 2008):
Ted my friend this is well done and has my vote. I too served in the Nam conflict, but that was not my only conflict that I was exposed to. Thanks for sharing.
Mark Nelson gave props (11 Nov 2008):
excellent work!!!
Karen K Smith gave props (11 Nov 2008):
Wonderful words and photos..a YES from me!
Susan Littlefield gave props (11 Nov 2008):
Wonderful compassionate story. Thank you for sharing it. My yes vote.
abel gave props (12 Nov 2008):
Welcome home brother. Welcome home to all. Thank you for sharing.
Regenia Brabham gave props (12 Nov 2008):
Thank you for sharing your story and thank you for serving. I am so glad that you are home!
Lynn H gave props (12 Nov 2008):
Perfect!! My vote for sure.Ted, I just want to thank you for your service. I am so sorry that you had those memories etched in your mind, but glad you are able to talk about it. Most of us have no clue what you went through. I salute you and thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Todd Krebs gave props (12 Nov 2008):
I did read your story...well done AND thanks for your service. I have many family members who served and two of our best friends currently serve in the Air Force. Thanks for sharing your personal story!
Judy Wanamaker gave props (12 Nov 2008):
Thank you, Ted, for what you did for me and other Americans. All veterans deserve our respect and gratitude for the sacrifices they have made. My dad, a WWII vet, had nightmares of silors being trapped below deck after a kamikaze attack on his ship. The ship sank as the sailors screamed for help. That really happened. All who have seen war are cursed with these dreams for the rest of their days. God bless them all.
Nancy Richard said (13 Nov 2008):
This story inspires awe, and eternal gratefulness that men like you went to war (even though it was unpopular). I have seen the Tomb Of the Unknown Soldier, and stood witness to the deeply touching ceremony of the Changing Of the Guard, with tears in my eyes. From the bottom of my heart--THANK YOU!
Donald Garrett gave props (13 Nov 2008):
Ted, Thanks for a very moving story about your experience in Pensacola AND for your being able to recall the memories of horrors on the warfront. My heartfelt thanks for your service and sentiments for our nation.
Janie North gave props (14 Nov 2008):
Ted, words cannot express the gratitude that I have for men and women like you. May God Always Bless You and Yours. Thanks for sharing your story. I too sit here with tears in my eyes.
Michael Ball gave props (14 Nov 2008):
Great story Ted!! Very well written! Thanks for everything you did in serving our country! You have my vote!
Frank Summers gave props (14 Nov 2008):
Very Nice essay! GMV
Haley Baldwin said (14 Nov 2008):
Thank you for telling your story and allowing us to hear something so deeply personal. God Bless you and all those whose homecoming never came.
Zerina Phillip said (17 Nov 2008):
I took the photos on 5th Avenue for the United Veterans Councils. I have entered a few. Your story is fantastic. Please visit the website
http://www.unitedwarveterans.org
The kissing nurse from 1945 Edith Shain was there to.
Justin Dailey gave props (18 Nov 2008):
Very good story and a crisp salute to your service to our great nation.
Brenda Woodham gave props (14 Dec 2008):
Thank you. I'm crying as I'm writing this, you see my son was in Iraq. He has been back since '05, but I only sometimes see glimpses of the young man he use to be. I know it will take a while; my father was in Vietnam as was two of my brother-in-laws. Prayer, love and time is what I have learned it takes to heal. Thank you again for your pictures and story!
Robert Daveant gave props (23 Dec 2008):
Excellent sory, we step father was a Army Vietnam war veteran and my father served in the Army. They have both since passed, I miss them both, thank you for sharing your words with us.
Kristina Evans-davis gave props (25 Dec 2008):
great story. I had grandfather went to army and same with my uncle. I always thanks them. Now I got husband had went to army too and he finish his time and had brother went to national gurad. Thank you for sharing your story with us. I miss my grandfather more. Still have my husband, my uncle and brother in my life..
Brittany Riley said (30 Dec 2008):
Excellent story thank you for sharing!
Carl Kuntze said (1 Jan 2009):
Captures the lonely feel one gets visiting grave sites of the war dead. My father was a WW I veteran and a peacetime vet of The US Navy. He spent three years in a Japanese internment camp. He never spoke of what he did in WW I. He spoke fluent German because of his parents, so he probably was in intelligence. He enlisted as a steward, then was promoted to chief. Thanks. My vote!
Michael Adams gave props (9 Feb 2009):
1. Thanks for serving for your country. 2. Thanks for sharing these fine details with us! 3. This is a great series and should be printed. You have my vote!